joel_maxwell
Permanent Resident of EPCOT
it's all fun and games till someone gets hurt. I hope they replace the proper areas.
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Space Mountain refurbishment begins April 19 2009
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
First on OrlandoSentinel.com: One of the more iconic attractions at Walt Disney World is getting a makeover.
Disney said Wednesday it will shut down Space Mountain this spring for what the company described as a months-long "refreshment" of the 34-year-old Magic Kingdom roller coaster.
The ride will close April 19, just after the Easter holiday. It is expected to reopen late in the year, Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said, though a specific reopening date has not been set.
The timetable means Space Mountain will be closed throughout the busy summer-travel season.
The construction work will include installing new track inside the enclosed coaster, which carries guests in the dark through a series of sudden drops and sharp turns. The layout of the track will remain the same, however.
Other upgrades will include a new enclosure for the ride's queuing area and a new ceiling inside its signature, white dome, Finger said.
Finger said the renovations are the first substantial work on the ride since September 1999. The project follows a series of other makeovers Disney has made in recent years to some of its oldest attractions, including the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom and Spaceship Earth in Epcot.
Disney fans have been swapping rumors for more than a year that the company was planning a sweeping overhaul of Space Mountain. In 2005, the Walt Disney Co. completed an extensive, two-year makeover of the Space Mountain at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
But the changes to Orlando's version of the ride -- it's the original Space Mountain, having opened Jan. 15, 1975 -- are likely to be more modest.
"We're retaining many of the classic elements that made Space Mountain a right of passage at the Magic Kingdom that's been enjoyed by generations," Finger said.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...space-mountain-closing-010709,0,2888333.story
Disney said Wednesday it will shut down Space Mountain this spring for what the company described as a months-long "refreshment" of the 34-year-old Magic Kingdom roller coaster.
The ride will close April 19, just after the Easter holiday. It is expected to reopen late in the year, Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said, though a specific reopening date has not been set.
The timetable means Space Mountain will be closed throughout the busy summer-travel season.
The construction work will include installing new track inside the enclosed coaster, which carries guests in the dark through a series of sudden drops and sharp turns. The layout of the track will remain the same, however.
Other upgrades will include a new enclosure for the ride's queuing area and a new ceiling inside its signature, white dome, Finger said.
Finger said the renovations are the first substantial work on the ride since September 1999. The project follows a series of other makeovers Disney has made in recent years to some of its oldest attractions, including the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom and Spaceship Earth in Epcot.
Disney fans have been swapping rumors for more than a year that the company was planning a sweeping overhaul of Space Mountain. In 2005, the Walt Disney Co. completed an extensive, two-year makeover of the Space Mountain at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
But the changes to Orlando's version of the ride -- it's the original Space Mountain, having opened Jan. 15, 1975 -- are likely to be more modest.
"We're retaining many of the classic elements that made Space Mountain a right of passage at the Magic Kingdom that's been enjoyed by generations," Finger said.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...space-mountain-closing-010709,0,2888333.story
Translation: "We are going the cheap route and no music" - Disney
BTW thanks TURKEY for posting this!
Enclosure = good. It's one of DL's great things.
I still riot if there is no on-board audio however.
I still riot if there is no on-board audio however.
jedimaster1227
Active Member
Just because there is no on-board audio, it doesn't mean there won't be audio during the ride. There is one alternative that WDI has been discussing.
And let it be known that Space Mountain's dome provides excellent acoustics... :animwink:
Disneyson 1
New Member
EEEEnteresting... but, unfortunately, that means no synched-to-the-ride music. I think. Oh well...
I've been to DL, but I'm not sure what type of enclosure this is talking about. I guess I need to make another trip.
Enclosing the queue to not see the ride while waiting? Pictures?
Lee
Adventurer
MKCP 1985
Well-Known Member
yeah, that queue is the definition of enclosed already. :lol:
to me, the classic elements that make Space Mountain a rite of passage include:
* a long indoor queue with lots of blue
* cookies across the sky
* a countdown to blastoff that begins at the load area
* blastoff through the blue lighting effects
* thrill ride in the dark
* a peek back to earth from the top of the tracks
* return through the red lighting effects
* a long moving sidewalk ride back to the exit
* seeing myself on TV
- - -
Nothing mentioned above would be hampered by a faster ride with synchronized audio, but oh well. :shrug:
to me, the classic elements that make Space Mountain a rite of passage include:
* a long indoor queue with lots of blue
* cookies across the sky
* a countdown to blastoff that begins at the load area
* blastoff through the blue lighting effects
* thrill ride in the dark
* a peek back to earth from the top of the tracks
* return through the red lighting effects
* a long moving sidewalk ride back to the exit
* seeing myself on TV
- - -
Nothing mentioned above would be hampered by a faster ride with synchronized audio, but oh well. :shrug:
Disneyson 1
New Member
It'll certainly be darker with the enclosure as it queue light won't bleed into the dome... I can see promotions now:
"As part of "What will you Celebrate", we're sending you on a new and improved mission into space in "Space Mountain". Relive your favorite Disney attraction in a way you've only dreamed of. Darker, smoother, and now including a new score created specifically for Space Mountain (coughcough*notthisone*coughcough) But remember, in Space, everyone can hear you scream!"
"As part of "What will you Celebrate", we're sending you on a new and improved mission into space in "Space Mountain". Relive your favorite Disney attraction in a way you've only dreamed of. Darker, smoother, and now including a new score created specifically for Space Mountain (coughcough*notthisone*coughcough) But remember, in Space, everyone can hear you scream!"
One Lil Spark
EPCOT Center Defender
That it does! You can hear the screams before you ever see the coaster...
One Lil Spark
EPCOT Center Defender
By the way, amazing pictures of SM in DL James! That's a definite upgrade from WDW's SM queue...
Thank ya. :wave: It is one hell of a sight to be seen. I remember when I was there last February I was so mesmerized by it at one point I accidentally held up the line. :lol:
It will probably happen again in March. :lol: If our SM's queue turns out half as good as theirs I will be happy.
Disneyson 1
New Member
Eh... HK's is just O.K. from that pic. Do they have a spaceship? if yes, then I'll lovingly embrace it. If not, I'll still give it a high-5, but a much less energetic one.
One Lil Spark
EPCOT Center Defender
Just DON'T. Touch. The. AUDIO! Please?
Disneyson 1
New Member
Is there audio in the actual dome now? I'm guessing that they'll just use an looped version of the CA Score if there isn't any music.